Can someone please explain wtf actually affects spell hit chance?

[Amplifier]

Like holy moly, WHY CANT I FIND ANY of this info ANYWHERE? How the ♥♥♥♥ does anyone get this? I'm perfectly clear on melee weps and ranged (STR affects melee, DEX affects fitnese/ranged). But wtf about spells????

I also know concentration/conditional spells with be based on the ability save specified. I'm referring to hit spells instead. Spells like Firebolt, ray of frost etc...

When I play as Gale, the firebolt spell's hit chance seems to be based on his INT modifier. But when I play as Shadowheart, her firebolt spell's hit chance is suddenly based on her INT modifier instead??? How come? I thought the spell hit chance for clerics are based on their WIS modifier?

[joefitts63]

That firebolt is treated as a wizard spell. You should just take it out of the abilities toolkit, because it is useless to her. Everything else of hers works off of wisdom as it should.

[Lisan al Gaib]

People rage so hard here when they don't understand basic mechanics.

[Mike Garrison]

Publicado originalmente por OK:

Like holy moly, WHY CANT I FIND ANY of this info ANYWHERE? How the ♥♥♥♥ does anyone get this? I'm perfectly clear on melee weps and ranged (STR affects melee, DEX affects fitnese/ranged). But wtf about spells????

I also know concentration/conditional spells with be based on the ability save specified. I'm referring to hit spells instead. Spells like Firebolt, ray of frost etc...

When I play as Gale, the firebolt spell's hit chance seems to be based on his INT modifier. But when I play as Shadowheart, her firebolt spell's hit chance is suddenly based on her INT modifier instead??? How come? I thought the spell hit chance for clerics are based on their WIS modifier?

STR also affects finesse. With finesse you use STR *or* DEX, whichever is higher.

There is no one single answer for spells, because they all work a little differently. Some always hit but the enemy can try a save. Some have no save but have to hit (usually based on your main spellcasting stat). Some both have to hit and can still be saved from. Some just hit 100% of the time (magic missile).

Firebolt is a wizard cantrip that is always based on INT, and Shadowheart gets it not because she's a cleric but because she's a half-elf with "high elf" heritage.

[GriffinPilgrim]

Depends on the spell. Some, like Fire Bolt, are straight up attacks and work the same way as normal attacks using their spell casting ability as the modifier. Shadowhearts is normally WIS as a Cleric but in the case of her Fire Bolt that isn't a Cleric spell, she's getting it because she's a High Half Elf so it uses a different modifier. Aside from that it's Cleric/Druid/Ranger: WIS, Wizard: INT, Bard/Warlock/Paladin/Sorcerer: CHA.
AOE spells (like Lightning Bolt) and a few other types of spells work differently, automatically affecting the target/s but allowing a Saving Throw from the target for no damge or half damage, usually DEX, Con or WIS.
A very few spells like Sleep have no attack roll or Saving Throw and just work if the target meets the criteria.

[Amplifier]

Publicado originalmente por .:

People rage so hard here when they don't understand basic mechanics.

When the game just tosses a firebolt spell to Shadowheart and then tells me at character creation Clerics use WIS, how the eff am I supposed to know?

[Amplifier]

Publicado originalmente por Mike Garrison:

Publicado originalmente por OK:

Like holy moly, WHY CANT I FIND ANY of this info ANYWHERE? How the ♥♥♥♥ does anyone get this? I'm perfectly clear on melee weps and ranged (STR affects melee, DEX affects fitnese/ranged). But wtf about spells????

I also know concentration/conditional spells with be based on the ability save specified. I'm referring to hit spells instead. Spells like Firebolt, ray of frost etc...

When I play as Gale, the firebolt spell's hit chance seems to be based on his INT modifier. But when I play as Shadowheart, her firebolt spell's hit chance is suddenly based on her INT modifier instead??? How come? I thought the spell hit chance for clerics are based on their WIS modifier?

STR also affects finesse. With finesse you use STR *or* DEX, whichever is higher.

There is no one single answer for spells, because they all work a little differently. Some always hit but the enemy can try a save. Some have no save but have to hit (usually based on your main spellcasting stat). Some both have to hit and can still be saved from. Some just hit 100% of the time (magic missile).

Firebolt is a wizard cantrip that is always based on INT, and Shadowheart gets it not because she's a cleric but because she's a half-elf with "high elf" heritage.

Yeah that's what I was confused about. I thought all attack spells were based on the relevant class' ability modifier (INT for wizards, WIS for clerics, CHA for warlocks etc.)

[GriffinPilgrim]

Publicado originalmente por .:

People rage so hard here when they don't understand basic mechanics.

That's uncalled for. The text of the post is a bit...passionate but it's a fair question.

[RollerPig]

Publicado originalmente por OK:

Like holy moly, WHY CANT I FIND ANY of this info ANYWHERE? How the ♥♥♥♥ does anyone get this? I'm perfectly clear on melee weps and ranged (STR affects melee, DEX affects fitnese/ranged). But wtf about spells????

I also know concentration/conditional spells with be based on the ability save specified. I'm referring to hit spells instead. Spells like Firebolt, ray of frost etc...

When I play as Gale, the firebolt spell's hit chance seems to be based on his INT modifier. But when I play as Shadowheart, her firebolt spell's hit chance is suddenly based on her INT modifier instead??? How come? I thought the spell hit chance for clerics are based on their WIS modifier?

yepp. Shart's fireball spell Is in fact based of int. It is crap. Use create fire and throw it as a cantrip. That is based off her wisdom modifier.

Your spell "to hit" is the same as for mellee. For shadowhearts spells Wisdom is the "to hit" modifier as well as a damage modifier just like str/dex is for martial weapons.

If you multiclass the to hit modifier will be the class you learned the spell from. If you can learn the spell from either of youre multiclasses it will come from the last class you leveled

Sharts fireball is the one oddball cantrip of all the companions. Id suggest not using it

[DeMasked]

Astarion also gets Firebolt due to race which can work well if going Arcane Trickster or multiclassing into Wizard / Eldritch Knight from Fighter.

Starting with Firebolt with Shadowheart you can use it to trigger traps or explosive barrels so it can be useful by itself. Otherwise use height advantage or normal advantage from being in stealth to get a better shot of it going off.

Respeccing the followers is a great idea as they all have odd stats that can be changed.

[TheMasterBlaster]

here you go friendo...the question you have is explained in the Spell Levels section, but I think you'll find the rest of it helpful, too.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3022859855

[Wokelander]

Publicado originalmente por .:

People rage so hard here when they don't understand basic mechanics.

To be fair Larian did a pretty poor job of describing the mechanics to anyone not already familiar with the D&D ruleset (and disappointed some of us with their understanding and implementation of the same 😅)

[er.tz]

A lot of things depending of the situation, spell and enemy. Usually your character spell CD is the most important stat to get high chances to hit.

[Amplifier]

Publicado originalmente por RollerPig:

Publicado originalmente por OK:

Like holy moly, WHY CANT I FIND ANY of this info ANYWHERE? How the ♥♥♥♥ does anyone get this? I'm perfectly clear on melee weps and ranged (STR affects melee, DEX affects fitnese/ranged). But wtf about spells????

I also know concentration/conditional spells with be based on the ability save specified. I'm referring to hit spells instead. Spells like Firebolt, ray of frost etc...

When I play as Gale, the firebolt spell's hit chance seems to be based on his INT modifier. But when I play as Shadowheart, her firebolt spell's hit chance is suddenly based on her INT modifier instead??? How come? I thought the spell hit chance for clerics are based on their WIS modifier?

yepp. Shart's fireball spell Is in fact based of int. It is crap. Use create fire and throw it as a cantrip. That is based off her wisdom modifier.

Your spell "to hit" is the same as for mellee. For shadowhearts spells Wisdom is the "to hit" modifier as well as a damage modifier just like str/dex is for martial weapons.

If you multiclass the to hit modifier will be the class you learned the spell from. If you can learn the spell from either of youre multiclasses it will come from the last class you leveled

Sharts fireball is the one oddball cantrip of all the companions. Id suggest not using it

Wait, what's Shadowheart's WIS for then if she doesnt even have any hit spells to begin with??

[DeMasked]

Publicado originalmente por OK:

Publicado originalmente por RollerPig:

yepp. Shart's fireball spell Is in fact based of int. It is crap. Use create fire and throw it as a cantrip. That is based off her wisdom modifier.

Your spell "to hit" is the same as for mellee. For shadowhearts spells Wisdom is the "to hit" modifier as well as a damage modifier just like str/dex is for martial weapons.

If you multiclass the to hit modifier will be the class you learned the spell from. If you can learn the spell from either of youre multiclasses it will come from the last class you leveled

Sharts fireball is the one oddball cantrip of all the companions. Id suggest not using it

Wait, what's Shadowheart's WIS for then if she doesnt even have any hit spells to begin with??

Produce Flame, Guiding Bolt, Inflict Wounds use attack rolls based on Wisdom.
Cure Wounds, Healing Word has increased healing based on Wisdom.

Sacred Flame doesn't use an attack roll but it kinda sucks due to the Dex save usually failing unless you combo it with something else.

[Mike Garrison]

Publicado originalmente por DeMasked:

Publicado originalmente por OK:

Wait, what's Shadowheart's WIS for then if she doesnt even have any hit spells to begin with??

Produce Flame, Guiding Bolt, Inflict Wounds use attack rolls based on Wisdom.
Cure Wounds, Healing Word has increased healing based on Wisdom.

Sacred Flame doesn't use an attack roll but it kinda sucks due to the Dex save usually failing unless you combo it with something else.

Spiritual Weapon, one of the two main combat spells for Shadowheart, gets both a to-hit and damage bonus based on her wisdom modifier. Spirit Guardians (her other main combat spell, unless you decide to use her to cast Bless instead) gets a saving throw for 1/2 damage, and the spellsave DC is based on Wisdom.

WIS is very important to Shadowheart. INT is not. Thus the advice from almost everyone to just ignore her firebolt spell. (Although, in early game, if you have the INT circlet that gives the wearer 17 INT, it can make her firebolt useful. However, there are better things for her to be wearing on her head by the end of Act 1.)